Girls in the army: Norway passes bill on mandatory military service for women

The Norwegian parliament has voted in a strong majority on a bill aimed at extending mandatory military service to females. If the legislation is approved, all women in the country will be subject to the same conscription conditions as men.

The proposition, which was first announced in June 2013, was
passed in Oslo this week, with 96 parliamentarians voting in
favor of gender equality in the army. Only six voted against it.

"We do not really need more conscripts but we wish to extend
military service to the entire age group to attract more
motivated and more competent recruits," Norwegian Minister
of Defense Ine Eriksen Soreide said.

If the bill is enacted, all medically fit women between 19 and 44
years old will have to serve at least 19 months of mandatory duty
in the armed forces. It will apply to women born in Norway from
1997 onwards, with the first service in the summer of 2016. Women
will also be subject to conscription during wartime.

Currently, women constitute just above 10 percent of military
conscripts in Norway, serving in the armed forces on a volunteer
basis. The initiative of compulsory military service for all
citizens regardless of gender makes Norway the first European
country to make such a decision in peacetime.

Outside Europe, military service is mandatory for both men and
women in Israel.

Earlier this year, the Norwegian army started testing unisex
dormitories. Women soldiers shared bedrooms with male recruits at
one of the country's military bases.

"Even though there is a girl in the room, it doesn't mean
there are any romances. We are just soldiers," conscript
Mathias Hoegevold told Ruptly news agency.

In August 2013, the country's military officials announced that
men in the army would be permitted to grow their hair long and
keep it in ponytails, after a male officer complained it wasn't
fair that only women were allowed to have longer styles.

If enacted, the new bill for mandatory female service will
include provisions for the use of gender-neutral language.

Before being written into law, the proposition must be approved
in the second reading. Voting is expected to take place later
this term.